The former Philadelphia Eagles center says he's 'really excited' about the 'next phase' of his career.
Jason Kelce is opening up about his next chapter. On Wednesday's episode of the New Heights podcast with his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, the former Philadelphia Eagles center addresses a recent report about his potential future in broadcasting.
"Nothing's been officially inked yet or announced yet, but obviously there's been a lot of reports out there about me going to ESPN," Jason says on New Heights presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment. "I think time will kinda take care of that, but it's a tremendous honor to even be considered to potentially work there. That network was everything that Travis and I watched growing up."
Travis echoes that the sports network "fueled our love for sports."
Jason continues, "Before phones, that was the only way to get all the coverage and we were glued to the TV each and every day. So the fact that I may, potentially, probably, will be working there is pretty darn cool."
Travis calls the possibility a "full circle" moment.
"We used to live and die by ESPN on that TV growing up, man, so to see you up there with your microphone in your hand," Travis gushes, "I'm happy as hell for you."
Amid speculation that Jason has been pursued by multiple networks in the wake of his March retirement from the NFL, the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer explains the he's been doing his "due diligence" in making a decision about his future career.
"You want to make sure that you're really looking at things, talking to people that are knowledgeable in the industry," he shares. "Neither one of us has ever done something like this and throughout the whole process of meeting and talking to everybody over at ESPN, it became apparent that it was really the right fit and at the end of the day, it was something that I'm really, really looking forward to this next phase."
He adds, "I guess it's a little bit clearer now, which I'm certainly excited about. I know to some degree who I'm working with and I think very, very highly of all of them. I'm excited to learn."
Jason admits that "I know a lot about the football world, but not a lot about this world. So that's just another avenue to continue to expand your knowledge."
The father of three also emphasizes the importance of relationship building in this business.
"That's what this business is about, that's what every business is all about," he says. "It's about the people you interact with."
He concludes, "I'm really excited."
Travis again congratulates his older brother and offers a message for the network.
"Congrats to ESPN on getting a real one," he says.
The Athletic reported on Monday that Jason had been tapped to join ESPN's Monday Night Football pre-game show, citing unnamed sources. ESPN declined to comment on the report.
Earlier this month, Jason celebrated his sixth wedding anniversary with wife Kylie Kelce. While he admits on Wednesday that he was delayed in getting her a gift for the occasion, he previously offered a heartfelt tribute to her in his moving retirement speech.
"I think it's no coincidence I have enjoyed my best years of my career with Kylie by my side. Every accolade I have ever received has come with her in my life," Jason said in his press conference at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. "She has brought the best out of me through love, devotion, support, honesty, intelligence, and of course, a swift kick in the a** from time to time."
Those "swift kicks" may include Kylie's recent comments to Today show co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie about her wishes for her husband following his retirement following his grueling NFL career.
"He needs to get out of the house," joked Kylie, who plans to continue her work for the Eagles Autism Foundation following the big life change. "It's not that I need him to get out of the house, it's that he needs to get out of the house. I think that with three small children, I don't think golf is gonna cut it."
The couple shares three daughters: Wyatt, 4, Elliotte, 3, and Bennett, 1.
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